solstice
by she.dreams.in.colour
Summary: The feverish heat of summer beckons the yearly festivities in honor of Zeus. Amidst the vibrant revelry, the sun-god is enamored by the ethereal vision of a mortal and enraged when she denies him. But gods are never refused, and he vows to make her succumb to him even if he has to sear her flesh to do it. Dark Greek Myth AU.
1. Dawn

Chapter 1

**Dawn**

_For light can only come into existence if there is darkness first._**  
**

* * *

The marketplace of Athens was a stunning spectacle of sights and sounds during the first night of the Olympian feast. Wrapped still in the arid heat of summer long after the golden sun had set, proud men and women of the Grecian city lined the bustling streets, food and cups of wine abundant in their hands. Sounds of laughter and merriment filled the air as sports and dances proceeded, both nearly-naked athletes and performers in brightly hued garments swirling fine grains of flaxen sands throughout the paved stone surface. The moon shone radiant in the height of the dark heavens, accompanied by the diminutive but no less luminous glimmer of the twinkling stars.

Two young men stood in the middle of the grand market square, both nursing half-filled cups of well-aged grape nectar. The younger of the two appeared to be enjoying himself, his wine-drenched lips curling into an enthralled smile as he took in the gaiety of his surroundings. The other man, in contrast, seemed unimpressed if not disinterested.

"Spoilsport much?" The first man spoke before proceeding to empty his cup of wine, crudely wiping his mouth with the back of his hand afterwards.

"This is a bore, Kol." The older one replied dryly.

"Oh, Niklaus, of course it is. They're mortals. No feast they honor us with will ever impress us, but if you lift your ass from that stuck-up throne of yours for a second, then perhaps you might be amused as have the rest of us."

The oak-haired god of celebration made a sweeping gesture with his hand, causing his sun-god brother to be aware of the Olympian presence all around them.

At the high balcony of the royal palace overlooking the city were Mikael and Esther, the god-king and his queen wife. Olympus' powerful rulers were guised as royal visitors from a far-away kingdom, mingling sociably with the other patrician guests. Their war-god brother Elijah was competing at one of the arm wrestling tables, his violent strength tempered by the soft touch of Tatia, the goddess of love, upon his shoulder. To the nearby east, the fiery red tresses of the goddess of wisdom and mistress of war, Sage, flew like blood-washed waves crashing into the shore as the god of the sea, Finn, took hold of her waist and led her to a dance so brimming with passion that it could have summoned Atlantis back to the surface of the earth. Their moon-goddess sister Rebekah even shed her huntress cloak tonight in favor of a feminine chiton to aid in her current goal of charming her way into a blond mortal's bed.

Klaus raised a brow. "And Henrik?"

Kol grinned impishly, remembering the quiet instruction that he gave his adorable baby brother before they left Olympus. "Oh, here and there, sending his charming little arrows of affection to romantic purposes. Athens could use a rise in population, don't you agree?"

"And I suppose you would be all too happy to help achieve that? If you think that your little partnership with Henrik has escaped my notice, then you are wrong, brother."

"And if you think that you could put to _good_ use that well-heralded body – I mean, really, why don't these annoying Greek sculptors ever tire of carving your form into marble? - by merely stand there like a goat, then you are wrong, brother." Kol mocked.

"There are enough strumpets in our family, Kol. My addition to the list is barely necessary." Klaus replied, unperturbed.

"Oh come on. Is there no maiden fair enough to make the sun-god feel the heat?" his brother shot back, grinning wider. He motioned at a buxom woman who was already sending flirtatious glances at their direction. "Then again, you can always spare yourself the trouble of educating a virgin. How about her? I bet she already knows a trick or two."

Klaus rolled his eyes, not even bothering to look at the woman his brother was referring to. "I am going back to Olympus. There is nothing for me here."

"Fine, suit yourself. I am off to aid Tatia and Henrik in spreading love in the mortal realm." Kol declared, pushing himself off the wooden rails that the brothers were leaning on, undoubtedly to finally begin his night of self-indulgence.

"From the looks of it, the only thing you'll be spreading is some unfortunate woman's legs." Klaus retorted half-heartedly.

"Say what you want, Niklaus, but it's to my credit that she can't walk tomorrow. Score for Kol, nil for Klaus." the wine-god said gleefully. Not a wink later, the woman was sweltering in Kol's arms as the deity's hasty hand disappeared under the many layers of her garment.

Niklaus carelessly threw away the wine cup he had emptied and started for the direction of the city gates.

The god of light rarely took part in these mortal celebrations that the rest of the Olympian residents were so fond of because he had learned early on that intoxication with wine made humans forget their place. Always there was a man and occasionally a woman in drunken state who would boast of being the best in this and having the best of that, the outburst inevitably ending with a statement that he or she was better than the gods. He never could stand it and he often took things into his own hands.

Mortals were keen on romanticising him as the comeliest of the male divinities, a patron of the arts and lover of all things beautiful. They tended to forget that he was a warrior foremost, that he slew the Python of Parnassus and that his fiery arrows would find any mark no matter what height or distance. They conveniently disregarded the fact that he was basally stern and cruel, for light can only come into existence if there is darkness first.

What they ought to know was that he, in a way, was far worse than Elijah. At least the god of war had his beloved Tatia to placate his vehemence - it was not in Klaus to allow a woman to temper his rage. He handed punishment swiftly but no less painful; let Niobe and her children serve as warning.

The sun-god had barely walked a few yards when he saw from a distance a crowd of Athenians gathered together, beholding the absorbing sight of a group of women who danced to the entrancing beat of drums and stringed-instruments. Klaus squinted slightly as his eyes landed on the familiar sight of a dark-skinned Athenian with (oddly) golden hair and eyes as piercing as a cat's in the dark. She was the sole person whose face was revealed, as the rest of the dancers wore porcelain masks that hid their identities.

Klaus smirked. The woman was Gloria, the chief priestess of his temple in Athens. Which must mean that all these women were his priestesses, and the dance that had held the attention of all the people in the vicinity was a dance meant for his honor.

At least for a few more minutes, the god of the sun decided to stay.

-o-

"What did I say? Less than fifteen minutes. Next time, give me a more challenging task."

Katerina of Athens tossed into her sister Elena's hands the alabaster mask that not a quarter of an hour ago adorned the face of a raven-haired warrior. Elena saw the aforementioned warrior emerge from the darkness of the alley where Katerina had led him into, a smug expression drawn on his handsome features. Clearly he enjoyed whatever happened in there.

"Heavens, Katerina, the dare was only to take his mask. You didn't have to…" spoke a blonde girl embarrassedly, not even able to finish her statement.

Katerina laughed. "It's alright, Caroline. It's not as if he didn't like it. The magnificent blond specimen he is now in conversation with is his brother, shall your dare be to do the same to him?"

Elena frowned, evidently offended by her sister's suggestion. "Sister, you know that Caroline is spoken for."

Katerina rolled her eyes. "Of course, Elena, who doesn't know that Caroline of Corinth has been given for marriage to that Roman prince what's-his-name. Such beautiful eyes, though. Deep and bronze and almost… wolverine. I could stare at them all day."

Caroline's brow furrowed slightly, an amount of possessiveness rising to her chest at the sound of her coquettish friend speaking like _that_ about the man she was betrothed to. Since they met at a celebration in Argos four months ago, Tyler of Rome had been calling in on Corinth for her, bringing gifts of gold and jeweled stones and even military aid from his home. A fortnight ago he extracted his first conquest of the Corinthian princess' sweet lips and the very next day he declared to her father that he was going to marry her and heavens help the royal if he dared to refuse. The King of Corinth, for his part, could not be more pleased at an alliance with a powerful empire.

Noticing Caroline's reaction, Elena sent a quick squeeze at her sister's arm. Katherine glared at Elena with a thinly veiled 'You didn't have to pinch me' message.

"So anyway, it's your turn for the dare." Katerina said, proceeding to survey their surroundings for the possible task that she could set Caroline up to.

"Remember, no flirting, no touching, no kissing." Elena reminded her sister, lest the latter came up with something that could hurt their friend's impending marriage.

"Ugh, where's the fun in that? Shall we have her steal a horse or something?"

Caroline reeled in shock. "Steal a horse!"

"I was kidding." Katherine assured her, chuckling at the reaction she drew from the Corinthian.

"How about eating a whole watermelon?" Elena suggested innocuously.

Katerina ignored her sister's prompt, her feline eyes gleaming with mischief as she spied the train of priestesses making their way into the marketplace for the much-anticipated dance in honor of the sun-god.

"No. Your dare is to dance with the priestesses of the temple."

"Dance with the priestesses?" Caroline repeated, the words almost snagging at her throat.

The dance of the priestesses was one of the highlights of the Olympian feast. In the old days it recounted the god of the sun's slaying of the Pythian beast, but now it served as a symbolic offering to the artistic deity, a wordless imploration for the sun to guard the Athenian sky and the fertile earth below it from devastating rains without scorching the land into parallel destruction.

Caroline had always thought of the dance as grotesque, in all of the words three meanings: distorted in a strange way, ludicrous through being out of place, and a blend of realistic and fantastic. On that lone night of the year the priestesses shed their dignified restraint and thrust themselves into the heated flush of unreserved yet similarly graceful movements aimed at honoring the god who is said to be keenest on genuine beauty.

She cast a downward look at the lavish blue chiton hugging her body. "But they wear masks and white robes. They would know that I am not among them."

"I'll get you the mask and the robe. You have to join their dancing." Katerina asserted.

Elena looked at Caroline hesitantly. "But too many people will be watching…"

"Duh, that's why it's a dare. You're not scared to dance in front of the Athenian public, are you, Caroline?"

The blonde bit her lip thoughtfully. Well, it was just a dance and she was going to be masked. There were an infinite number of far worse tasks that Katerina could set her up to.

"Fine, Katerina. Get me a mask and a white robe. I'm not going to lose this dare."

-o-

He did not know where she came from, but his heedful blue eyes went to her from the moment she first stepped into his sight.

She wore a resplendent white robe made of cascading layers of sheer fabric, the opalescent garment craftily preserving the honors of her maidenhood but allowing the luscious sight of every other inch of her skin. Klaus' jaw tightened squarely as his eyes greedily traveled the smooth line of her legs, encircling the full curve of her hips and upward to the delicate thrust of her peaked breasts. Her feet were lithe, her steps lissome, and each time her body undulated to the resounding beat of the drums she sent a pulse of something powerfully primal blazing through the sun-god's veins.

He tried to place in his mind who she could be among the priestesses of his temple, but the simple act of recalling who his priestesses were proved to be frustratingly difficult when waves of wheat blonde hair rippling against the black-blue hue of the night sky kept his eyes mesmerized and his mind occupied. His muse danced with grace and even a slight dignity, but at the same time her body was teasing and inviting, her dress parting to show skin at all the right places while concealing virgin flesh where needed. Klaus had half the mind to burn everything around her until she melted in his arms and he could rip her mask and garment off, to feel her dance against him, skin to skin.

Who was she and why had he never noticed her before?

She continued to dance for him unknowingly, arms raised and hips swaying, neck craned and head slightly tilted. He continued to watch every movement of her delicate form, his lips parching as heat that was more of the love-goddess' province than his own descended further down his body.

A wave of silence swept through the captivated Athenian crowd, and Klaus frowned in displeasure as he realized that almost all the other mortal males were taken by her as well. They were watching her, wanting her, and undoubtedly they were lost in the same thoughts as he. Spikes of hatred and possessiveness flared gold and green in the god's blue eyes - how dare they look at _his_ priestess like _that_.

She lifted a hand to secure her mask, and after doing so she let her arm fall to rest by her bodice. The flimsy sleeve of her dress slid down her milk-splashed shoulder, leaving the entire base of her succulent neck bare.

Half of the male Athenian population present in the marketplace ceased to breathe; the other half swallowed.

"_Is there no maiden fair enough to make the sun-god feel the heat?"_

Klaus snapped.

He wanted her. He had to have her. Damn Kol and his pleasure-seeking purview, but tonight he was going to have her and the gods help anyone who stood in his way.

-o-

Caroline was not entirely certain what happened. One second she was dancing with the rest of the priestesses of the sun-god's temple, and the next moment the quiet pyre in the middle of the market square had roared into a full-burst flame that sent the entire marketplace of Athens in chaotic panic.

Incoherent screams and shouts filled the air, dust and sand flying to cloud her vision as pandemonium gripped the city square. A stampede broke out, men and women madly running for safety without any regard for anything else in the way. Caroline squinted, coughing amidst the man-made dust storm, her mind questioning why such was the reaction to an intensified pyre. She rubbed her eyes with her hands and tried to look around her.

A cry of horror escaped her lips when she saw the sky.

The caged and tied animals reared and roared as merciless fires rained down from the heavens, relentlessly falling upon the Athenian territory and burning everything that they came in touch with in an intoned hymn of reckless destruction. What they were and why they were there, no one knew.

Caroline quickly took off her mask and searched frantically for Katerina and Elena, but she could not see anything between the powdery particles of dirt and the wild rush of people scrambling for cover. The Corinthian princess was filled with fear and it was sheer human instinct to survive that pushed her to race to the nearest stone refuge. She ran as fast as her small feet could carry her, no longer even bothering to look at the ground she ran on, clutched her chest protectively in her hands. She squeezed her eyes close as she prayed to the gods for deliverance.

And yet… heat. She felt the unmistakable sensation of burning heat crawling on her naked skin, hotter and hotter as she ran further.

Had one of the fiery spheres fallen upon her?

Was she burning?

Was she dying?

Caroline ran into something… someone… and halted.

She did not know who he was, but there was an unnerving air that surrounded him, emanating from the placid composure in his expression despite the vermilion inferno that the marketplace had turned into. The striking stranger made no move towards safety, instead merely standing in his place and looking down at her, holding her fearful gaze in his own knowing one. His blue eyes bore not the faintest hint of anxiety but instead reflected something red-hot, something dark and greedy, something almost to the fault of dementedness.

Caroline's head began to spin. She looked back up at him and the heat that crept on her skin intensified tenfold. She struggled to opened her mouth and say something about running for their lives, but the words were lost in her throat as she weakly turned her head to one side and then the other only to realize in horror that they were surrounded by an unbroken circle of roaring flames.

A torrential wave of nausea washed over the Corinthian as her mind registered the fact that there was absolutely no way out.

She felt her legs fail her and unwillingly braced herself against the man's chest. As her burning cheek rested on his pectoral, his lush lips curled into a triumphantly sinister smile, one of that who wanted something and used his cunning to take it rather than to have asked for it.

His arms enveloped her tight, and the heat that seared her body turned from scorching to unbearable as he pressed her closer to him in a manner that was both gentle and forceful at the same time. There was an unmistakable possessiveness in his hold, as if he was claiming her for himself. Caroline closed her eyes completely; the heat, the fear, the spinning – she just couldn't take any more of it.

Amidst the throbbing in her head, she felt his hand move upwards towards her mane - was he stroking her hair, right now, in the fucking middle of burning hell?

"Come to me, love." The stranger who held her said. His voice felt like silk against the abrasive crackling of the burning embers. "Let go and come to me."

Caroline blacked out.

-o-

A/N:

1. This one is inspired by a suggestion sent to me by I Love All Books TVD Klaroline for my other story, Only Red Flames Live Here Now. She/He said something along the lines of "What if Caroline's side wins the war and Klaus kidnaps her?" The kidnap idea stuck to me so while I'm waiting for my muse to come back so I can continue Only Red Flames, I've decided to work on Solstice.

2. Homage is due and paid to fadingtales and Lovelylynn92 who preempted me in casting Klaus as a Greek god in their wonderful fics All's Fair and Pandemonium. It is my overwhelming respect for these two authors that made me avoid casting Klaus as Ares and Hades. Thankfully Apollo does have a history of kidnapping and seducing women who catch his eye so I suppose casting Klaus as Apollo here at least does make sense.

3. I have not yet decided whether I should continue Lay All Your Love On Me because as I said there is something about the story that seems to hit me the wrong way, but thank you very much to my four lovely guests and to Alixx4, Dramatic Melody, lilred-07, OKBooey31, MasterRoo, justine, peanut mm, Prosperina, nicaha23 and ilovetvd, luludancing, emma-sam-scarlatti, Lady Shaye and scarlettmoon66 for their reviews. :)

So tell me what you think about this one?


	2. Morning

Chapter 2

**Morning**

_Be at the service of your lord._

* * *

The Grecian night was deathly quiet, yet the incessant knocking on his bedchamber doors roused Alaric of Athens from his slumber. Rubbing his eyes clear before glancing at the open windows of his room, the statesman saw that the full moon still lorded over the dark sky, thus the hours for sleep were not yet past. Annoyance filled his chest to the brim as he quietly rose from the bed so as not to disturb his sleeping wife – whoever was behind that door better have good reason for interrupting his rest or his sword might find itself severing a neck.

Alaric opened the door and found one of the guards awaiting him outside his chambers. He had the good mind to want to berate the guard for disturbing his hour of sleep, but his thoughts were derailed when he noticed that there was something bizarre about the man's expression – his eyes were hazy, almost blank, as if he was in some state of mesmerism.

"My Lord," the guard droned. He could not seem to fix his eyes into Alaric and was looking into some distance past his master. "There is a man in the receiving hall who wishes to speak with you."

"At this hour?" Alaric said, displeasure and disbelief wrangling for dominance in his voice. "And who might this impertinent man be?"

"I do not know, my Lord. But he wishes to speak with you, and I must obey him…"

"Obey him! Can you even hear the words you say? You do not know who this man is, and yet you take his command! Last I checked, guard, I am the one who pays your coin."

The guard seemed utterly unconcerned about Alaric's furious outburst. "He wishes to speak with you, my Lord, and you must see him…"

"Fine." Alaric finally threw his hands up, resigning himself to grant presence to this late-night audience. Arguing with the guard seemed entirely pointless, anyway, as the man did not even seem to be in the right mind.

The lord of the House of Saltzman descended from the upper floors of the villa where his room was situated and made his way into the dimly-lit antechamber. As he approached the eerily silent receiving hall, the light from the lamp he held allowed him to perceive the peculiar sight of a young man standing alone in the room… no, he was not alone for in his arms he carried an unconscious woman clad in white robes.

Alaric did not know who the young man was, but he was certain that he had seen the woman before, though he could not quite place when or where. The chiton that the woman wore was white and only the priestesses of the sun-god were allowed to don that color in Athens, but Alaric was familiar with Gloria and her priestesses and he was fairly certain that the woman was not among them.

The man turned to Alaric before the statesman even spoke.

He was a youth of comely appearance, with hair of dark gold and a strapping body that had the elegance of something that had been sculpted from solid marble. His blue eyes, however, bore a look of knowing that was well beyond the years of his body.

"Good evening." The man said. His voice was low and cold, almost foreboding. "You have a magnificent home."

Did you have me woken up in the middle of the night just to tell me that? Alaric wanted to spat at his unwelcome guest, but as soon as he looked right into the man's eyes he found that he could not speak at all.

"I wonder," the man continued "if you have a spare room that the lady and I can use for tonight. She is not in the finest spirits, you see."

A chilling wave of fear inexplicably began to creep up Alaric's spine. The burning lamp he held in his hand began to flicker, making his heart constrict and his face twist into an expression of horror and helplessness which he saw all too clearly from his own reflection in the man's eyes. The curtains in the antechamber remained still and unmoving because there was no wind to cause them to billow, just as there was no wind to cause the lamp to flicker.

There was something wrong going on, and Alaric felt it - he felt the fear deep in his bones. The statesman swallowed, his hands beginning to tremble as he struggled to hold on to the last vestiges of sensible thinking amidst the panic that was overwhelming his mind.

He had to get away. Yes, he had to get away, he had to take Jenna and get away.

With his heart pounding wildly in his chest, Alaric willed himself to turn and flee. And then he realized in horror that no matter how he tried to move _any_ part of his body, he was frozen in his place.

_What the_ -

The man held Alaric's gaze, his own orbs dilating and swirling into a storm of liquid gold before slowly turning back into a cryptic shade of blue. The Athenian stood rigid in his place, mouth partly open and face frozen in an expression of sheer terror. Slowly, his eyes began to be clouded by the same blank haze that the guard's eyes had, and by the time his body slacked, he was staring off that same unseen distance that his man-servant had lost himself in.

"Of course." Alaric answered blankly. His typically forward voice was now slowed and bleary. "Let me lead you to the chambers, and I shall bid all who dwell in this house to leave so as not to disturb you."

Pleased at the answer he received, the man nodded at Alaric and then turned his eyes at the still unconscious woman in his arms. She had been a temptress when she danced with the priestesses earlier that night, and now without the mask to cover her delicate face she was even more beautiful. He could not help himself from smiling darkly at the thought that tonight, she was his and his alone.

"Fantastic."

-o-

"What are we going to do, Katerina? Oh, what if we never find her, oh what if…"

Katerina glowered as Elena went on gibbering in anxiety, but the truth was that the elder of the twin princesses of Athens could barely keep her thoughts in line herself. One moment Caroline had been dancing amongst the priestesses of the sun-god, and the next moment fires had engulfed the entire marketplace of Athens.

Katerina and Elena had run for cover, finding shelter in the house of a Greek merchant together with no less than two dozen more people. Terror gripped each and every citizen of Greece as they watched the vermilion flames pour from the heavens and greedily raze the town square, as if hell had been raised from the dead depths of the Underworld and brought into the realm of the living.

Then, as rapidly as they had appeared, the fires vanished.

But even more strange was the fact that when the Athenians came out of hiding, they found that their marketplace simply stood there, appearing the same way it had always been, like the blaze had never happened at all. No one could understand how it came to be for they saw with their own eyes how fire consumed the place, yet no matter where they looked there was not a single grain of ash or the slightest stain of charring that could be found. The cheesecloths that had been used for tent canopies had not even one black mark, nor the leaves of the plants in the rooftop gardens, nor any of the wares that had been strewn on the ground following the commotion.

"Be quiet!" Katerina told her sister irritably as she lifted the hem of her chiton and made her way up the steps that led to the temple of the sun-god.

Katerina thought that of course Caroline would seek refuge from the flames as she and Elena had done, but they were unable to find her anywhere in the marketplace afterwards. The last people that Caroline had been with where the priestesses, so Katerina decided to head for the temple.

The temple of the sun-god was not any more peaceful than a battlefield. A multitude of Athenians had swarmed the temple after the fiery deluge, bringing offerings of rams and lambs to appease the god of the sun. The guards of the temple held the people from entering the sacrificial chambers while the priestesses attempted to calm the citizens down, relaying that the sun-god's pyre inside the temple was peaceful and the deity did not desire to hand punishment to the city.

"Out of my way!" Katerina yelled.

No one seemed to care that the king's daughter was in their midst, for their only concern was to bring their offerings to the sacrificial pyre so they may beg for their lives to be spared. When her command fell upon deaf ears, Katerina began shoving person after person out of her way until she finally made a trail to reach the outer chambers of the temple, right in front of the human barricade that the temple guards had formed. Elena kept close to her vehement sister's heels lest she lose herself in the large crowd.

The meeker of the twin sisters caught a glimpse of a familiar childhood friend among the priestesses and immediately tried to draw her attention.

"Bonnie!"

"Elena? What are you doing here?"

"Caroline, she's –"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Bonnie, don't chat us up from there!" Katerina griped. "Let us in!"

Bonnie immediately set forth to find the chief priestess of the temple, who gave the guards instruction to allow the king's daughters inside the temple.

"What brings the children of the king to the temple of Apollo?" Gloria asked once the two women had safely been brought into the temple's inner chambers. "If this is about the scorching of the marketplace, I have sent one of my acolytes to be of counsel to your father's royal table."

Katerina shook her head. "This has none to do with the king. A friend of ours… well she danced among your priestesses tonight, and she was not to be found anywhere in the town square afterwards. I wish to know if she has gone with your priestesses –"

"What do you mean she danced among my priestesses?" Gloria repeated, brow furrowing deep.

"We were playing a game of dare. I challenged her to join the dance of the priestesses –"

"Katerina!" Bonnie cried, aghast. "You know that common citizens are not allowed to join the dance of the priestesses!"

The brunette princess rolled her eyes. "She was barely a commoner. Caroline is a royalty of Corinth."

"You mean to tell me that the princess of Corinth danced among my priestesses tonight, and now she cannot be found?" The chief priestess asked, suddenly filled with an overwhelming urge to slap the king's daughters.

"We were hoping that she sought refuge with your priestesses…" Elena expressed.

"Then your hope is in vain." Bonnie replied, voice small but full of apprehension. "We have not taken any man or woman under our shelter. But where could Caroline be then?"

Gloria narrowed her eyes. A girl not bound to the service of the deities had joined the dance of the priestesses, and moments later flames poured down from the heavens, a doing of the sun-god himself, doubtless. Now the girl was not to be found.

Dare she draw a link between the Corinthian princess' disappearance and her lord?

-o-

Heat.

Caroline stirred as she felt something soft and warm and feather-light brush gently against her nape, slowly travelling down to her bare shoulders. The blonde craned her neck and arched her back further, her yet awake body responding to the blissful sensation without sentient interference from her mind.

Her eyelids fluttered as she drifted to and from slumber and consciousness, back and forth, back and forth. The ministrations on her neck continued, the languid movements sending small ripples of pleasure reverberating throughout her body. She let out a soft moan as a strong hand slowly snaked its way around her figure, brushing against the tender underside of her breasts.

She shifted her body and turned to her left, seeking the direction of the dreamy warmth that she had so taken pleasure in, wanting it closer, wanting it more. She basked in the snug comfort of the soft sheets that cradled her form before a graceful pair of arms encircled her body, hands pressing against her back to draw her into a delightfully heated embrace. Her own palms slid welcomingly against a bare, warm chest, and soon burning lips descended upon hers, capturing them in a slow, leisurely kiss.

Caroline began to kiss back before she could even think about what she was doing. Still immersed in the fragile realm between dreams and reality, her mind gave thought to none else but the blazing pleasure that she had found herself absorbed in. Fingers laced through her golden hair, gently tilting her head so that the kiss became deeper and hotter, almost sweltering. She writhed beneath those divine lips as she continued to kiss them back, moaning breathlessly as she took in everything that they offered to sate the burning need that they had roused from within her core.

And then…

_Caroline? _

_W-what…_

_Caroline? Can you hear me?_

…_who are you?_

_I am Gloria. I am Elena and Katerina's friend. They have been searching for you._

_Elena and Katerina… I remember…_

_Where are you, child?_

_I do not know…_

_What do you see around you?_

_I can't see anything. It's too dark. Where am I? Help me!_

_Do not fear. Hold on to my voice and slowly open your eyes._

_I can't! What's happening?_

_Open your eyes, Caroline. Open your eyes._

Caroline willed her mind to cling to consciousness. She felt her senses coming to, but the dream did not seem to fade away. The kiss - still ever so rapturous - was now bruising and she shivered slightly as the cold air blew against her bare skin while hands slowly began to peel her dress off her body.

_Gloria? Where are you? Help me!_

Amidst the black obscurity of unconsciousness, a small spark of light flared. Caroline suddenly found herself alone in a cold, darkened corridor with nothing but the tiny flicker of light – and when the light began to move, desperation urged Caroline to follow.

It led to a hallway. To a room. To a door.

_Gloria? Gloria! Please!_

She grasped at the knob and desperately turned it.

Caroline jolted awake, and a gasp of horror was caught in her throat as she found her barely-clothed self in the midst of a fervid kiss with a man whom she did not even know.

She instantly tore her lips from his, her hands leaving his chest to grab at the sheets and cover her body as she scrambled to get away from him. His embrace was tight and strong but her sudden resistance caught him unaware for a moment and Caroline knew that it was the only chance she had.

She bolted from the bed, running towards the doors of the unfamiliar chamber and frantically pulling and twisting at the handholds. Yet no matter how hard she pulled nor what direction she twisted, the doors simply would not open. Her heart raced, battering a frenzied beat in her chest; her breaths were short, sharp and uneven, barely providing her with enough air to keep from choking in panic.

"Don't bother with the doors, love. They won't open unless I will it."

Caroline's blood ran cold in her veins as she slowly turned back to the man who she had laid with in bed. She recognized him as the man from earlier at the Athenian marketplace - he was the last person she saw before she blacked out.

"Who… who are you?" she said breathlessly.

He let out a somewhat bored sigh before sitting up, the cotton sheets falling on the bed to reveal a magnificently toned body, chiseled to an almost otherworldly perfection. His face bore features of ethereal fineness brought out even more by his utterly captivating blue eyes and full raspberry lips. He would have mesmerized any mortal – save for she whose heart and mind were both too ravaged by fear to behold the glory before her.

"Some call me the Delian, others the Pythian, and still others the Lycian, from the line of the wolves. [1]" The man spoke. His tongue briefly flicked over his lush lips to wet them as he continued watching her. "But you, my love, may call me Klaus."

He rose to move closer to her, but she staggered backward, clutching the sheets even tighter. "Don't! Don't come near me–" her eyes gazed downward at the sheer white chiton she wore – "I am a priestess of the sun-god!" she suddenly declared.

The man laughed darkly before tilting his head sideward and looking at her in amusement. "Are you, now?"

"Yes! I am a priestess…You can't – you can't…"

"Well then, my priestess. Come be at the service of your lord."

Caroline's eyes widened, her mind unable to comprehend what the man had just said.

Klaus smirked. Oh, mortals.

In a fraction of a second, he had closed the gap between him and his sweet priestess, leaving barely an inch of space between her supple body and his own. Her back was braced against the door and he rest his hands on the surface beside her head so that he caged her in with his body. She had nowhere to go and he found in fascination that he very much preferred her that way.

He looked down at her and Caroline could feel the heat radiating from him almost burning through what few and far between garments that separated them. She was perilously close to suffocating in fear and when she squeezed her eyes shut, a single tear of utter dread cascaded down a solitary trail on her cheek.

"I thought you were sworn to my service." the Klaus said mockingly, his breath warm against the base of Caroline's neck. When she didn't answer, he lifted a finger and traced a faint line atop her bosom, a searing motion that oddly made her entire body shiver.

"Look at me."

More tears spilled as Caroline opened her eyes. Despite her watered vision, she could clearly see the intensity in the Klaus' blue orbs, which seemed to bore right through the very depths of her being. He smiled at her again, yet there was nothing soothing about it – it was dark, demented, dangerous.

"You were so responsive when you were asleep." He whispered raspingly, reveling in the dulcet notes of lavender and honey that teased his senses when he breathed in her scent. His hands found themselves upon her waist once more, his fingers brushing against the sheer fabric of her dress with a lingering sensuality that only betrayed how eager he was to make her his for the taking.

"Now, love, shall we continue?"

The sheets fell into a heap on the floor. Klaus wasted no more time and began trailing his lips over her neck and jaw, kissing and licking and lapping at her soft flesh while his hands occupied themselves with undoing her thoroughly alluring but well-unneeded garment. He moved upward to her trembling lips, which he meant to arrest into a kiss as heated as the one they shared earlier. Hell, her lips were heavenly and that was saying something, especially coming from a god.

But she did not return the kiss. Instead, she pressed her frail hands against his chest in an effort to push him away.

"Stop!" Caroline cried. Her voice was hoarse, her throat burning. "I'm spoken for."

A cruel laugh reverberated throughout the room.

"You really think I'd stop merely because you are spoken for?" Klaus said in unreserved amusement. "I am a god, little one. You cannot refuse me. Now be a good girl and -"

Caroline shook her head desperately. "No! I am marrying in two fortnights - let me go!"

The deity's expression twisted into something unreadable but undeniably chilling.

Marrying in two fortnights. This girl - he had wanted her; he, the god of the sun; and she, a mere human who should have born with submissive gratitude the gift of beauty bequeathed upon her, that rare and precious beauty which led a god to look upon her and desire her for himself, so much that he troubled to pleasure her before she had to pleasure him - she dare deny him a place with her in bed, because she would rather give herself to a mortal?

The anger which brewed inside Klaus had no adequate description.

"Wrong answer, sweetheart."

His hand crept up to her neck and before she knew what was happening, his fingers had closed tight around her throat. Caroline clawed wildly at Klaus' arm, desperate for the air that was rapidly waning from her lungs, but her efforts were to no avail; her feeble strength would never match the tremendous power in his hold.

"You will see, love," Klaus hissed between gritted teeth, his hand cutting her air off as forcefully as he could. "You cannot deny me, and you will not deny me."

Caroline squirmed, thrashing her body against her captor with all her remaining strength in a final attempt to save herself, but Klaus did not as much as flinch. He meant to choke the living daylights out of her and that was exactly what was going to happen even if Mikael himself came thundering into the fucking room.

He was going to have her, oh he was going to have her and if he had to take her to Olympus and tie her down his bed and break her will until she gave herself to him, then so be it.

-o-

Thirty miles away from the gates of Athens, a group of men had set-up camp on the pale Greek sands, having traveled all the way from the city of Larissa to deliver diplomatic representation for a country well distanced from Greece. Exhausted by the last eight hours of traveling, the men were all in deep slumber, save for one who sat in front of the pyre in the middle of the camp, watching the embers burn.

The man held dearly in his hands an exquisite necklace of gold bearing a lone stone of sapphire. This necklace belonged to the woman who had conquered his mind and heart, and tonight even his dreams. He kissed her for the first time a fortnight ago and he knew the moment she moaned his name against his mouth in ecstasy that he could never again let her go. He would have taken her then and there, under the moonlight in her father's garden, but the future Queen of Rome did not deserve to be fucked in the open as if she was some common whore, no that was not going to happen. Caroline of Corinth was a goddess, and Tyler of Rome would ascertain that she was treated as such.

He brought the blue jewel to his lips before returning it to its rightful place around his neck, the sapphire falling near his heart. She had given the necklace to him before he left for Larissa to negotiate a treaty in behalf of his father, Richard the King of Rome, with the promise that she would be waiting for him to return. Then he would take her back with him to Rome where they were to marry and be together for as long as there was breath to draw.

"I'm coming home to you, Caroline." Tyler whispered to the wind, knowing that it would carry his message straight unto his beloved's ear. "I'm coming home."

-o-

A/N:

1. According to Edith Hamilton who is apparently an authority in Greek Mythology, "Apollo was called Delian from Delos, the island of his birth, Pythian from his killing of the Python and Lycian, explained as wolf-god." Wolf-god, Apollo? I didn't know that.

2. You know what I just realized? Solstice is basically Only Red Flames Live Here Now with a linear plot. I tried to give so much depth to Only Red Flames' characters and plot to create a dynamic story and it ended up… well, kind of disastrously. Solstice has flatter characters and plot and it's not my natural style but I'm hoping that this will make the story line more focused.

3. Speaking of Only Red Flames. This user named Koree plagiarized my fic, changing the title to 'Bound to Blood' and she totally claims it as her own - she hasn't taken it down until now. She also plagiarized Reels' Devil in White and Kind of Amy's Until You. It's just crazy!

4. Lastly I'd like to thank all my anon reviewers especially arabella, justine and ilovetvd. I can't reply to you guys but do know that I appreciate all the kind words. arabella, I love your reviews, long or short - they all make me happy. :)

So how was this chapter? Did you like it? Was it boring? Should I leave it at this?


	3. Noon

Chapter 3

**Noon**

_Better to lose your virtue than your life._

Carmine flames danced lazily over tangerine-tinged coals as a dozen first-born calfs and a dozen first-born lambs burned in the sacrificial pyres of the sun-god in his temple in Athens. The offerings were brought by the despairing king at daybreak, pleading with the priestesses to call upon the god's aid in the form of his foretelling wisdom.

It had barely been a few days since Grayson, king of Athens, himself ascertained his friend, William king of Corinth, that Caroline would be safe in the company of the Athenian royalty while she joined in the summer festivities in honor of the gods. Now the princess of Corinth was nowhere to be found, and King Grayson's promise of seeing to her well-being was as shattered as the king himself was.

Soldiers had searched the entire city, leaving not a single stone unturned in their wake, but the princess could not be found and no amount of gold promised as reward could make any man come forward with knowledge of where she could be. The next morning the king was forced turn to his most powerful albeit final resort – the god of the sun, who too lorded over prophecy.

In front of the sacrificial pyres stood the chief priestess, appearing deeply steadfast in her prayers, but the truth was that she was nursing her own doubts. The rain of fire which caused Caroline's disappearance was a doing of the sun-god, and Gloria felt her lord's unmistakable presence when she reached out to the Corinthian's unconscious. She was almost certain that the god had something to do with the girl's disappearance, but the reason behind it remained unclear.

The flames in the caldrons flanking the hallowed altar suddenly roared, interrupting the priestess' thoughts. She opened her eyes and was greeted by the sight of a handsome young man dressed in a modest but refined robe of Prussian blue.

"You asked for my audience?"

"My lord." Immediately Gloria knelt down in reverent deference.

The god of the sun walked towards the burning pyres, a brow arched in pleasant surprise. The chamber was filled with the splendid smell of broiling meat, the embers hissing almost tunefully as fat dripped from the roasting mutton unto the glowing coals.

"The king of Athens seems generous today." Klaus said, eyeing the abundant offerings in his chamber. "I suppose that the man is in need of my aid?"

"A woman in his protection is missing, my lord. He beseeches your mercy and wisdom that she may be found."

The ghost of a smile twitched the corners of the god's lush lips. The current object of his desires was known to the king of Athens, then. The daughter of a member of the royal court, or a lady in waiting perhaps?

"What is her name?" he asked, realizing for the first time his unacquaintedness with her appellation.

"Caroline, my lord; fair haired and blue eyed, a youth of seventeen. Where may we find her?" The priestess asked.

The god dismissed the idea with an apathetic wave of his hand. "Tell Grayson not to bother looking for her."

"Is she... dead?"

Klaus laughed darkly. "It would be a pity that something so beautiful should be sent to the depths of the underworld, wouldn't it? Wipe that horrified look off your face. The girl who Grayson seeks is alive, but she is no longer to be part of the province of mortals. She is... retained to my service."

Gloria's eyes widened, the revelation stunning her to speechlessness.

Caroline had tempted the sun-god himself.

The priestess did not know of any mortal woman who had been desired by her master in the past, unlike the god of wine who figured in countless narratives of debauchery with both mortals and other beings, but she could understand why the sun-god would desire the Corinthian princess for himself. Her beauty was that of the white gardenias in the Greek spring – pure, innocent, unsoiled - and it only made her all the more tempting to mark. Yet to be wanted by a god, and one as basally cruel as the god of the sun who was swift and unyielding in both his actions and decisions...

"My lord, whatever you desire is yours to take." Gloria said, knowing that those words were true. "But I fear I must let you know that Caroline is spoken for… and the man who lays claim to her is the prince of Rome."

Klaus' head immediately flicked into his servant's direction, an expression of warring annoyance and alarm spreading over his features. "What did you say?"

"Caroline is daughter to the King of Corinth, my lord. She is in Athens awaiting the arrival of Tyler, the prince of Rome, to whom she is betrothed."

"The motherfucking -" the god swore under his breath.

-o-

She awoke to the sound of birds singing their morning songs and the sight of gentle sunlight filtering throughout the room.

Caroline sat up on the bed sluggishly. The silken sheets that had provided her warmth while she slept that night fell smoothly down on the large bed as she sat up, but she noticed neither the lavishness of her accomodations nor its unfamiliarity. All she knew was that a strange feeling of soreness racked her entire body and she flinched slightly as she groggily brought a hand up to touch her aching neck. Why did her neck hurt?

Her eyes immediately widened in panic as she remembered the events of the past night.

"You're awake."

She looked up and saw a beautiful, dark-haired woman standing by the doorway. Caroline did not know her at all, but there was an inexplicable wave of calmness that washed over her when the woman smiled kindly and walked towards her.

"I am Isobel." The woman said gently. "I am the Mother Nymph of the forest of Alcaeus. What is your name, child?"

A nymph, Caroline repeated in her mind. Perhaps that was why she felt calm and safe around her. Nymphs were the guardians of nature in Grecian tradition, kind and beautiful spirits who protected forests and mountains and rivers. They were known to be compassionate to humans as well, so long as the humans lived in harmony with the land.

"…Caroline."

The reassuring smile stayed on the nymph's lips. With a wave of her hand, she gestured at a table in the middle of the room, on which a small feast of breads, fruits and honey was laid. "Caroline, when you feel well enough to do so, have your fill of a morning meal. I have asked my daughters to draw a bath for you which you may enjoy afterwards."

The Corinthian smiled back weakly. "Thank you for your kindness. And thank you… for saving my life."

"What do you mean?"

"Last night… there was a man… he tried to take me… choked me when I refused…"

Isobel shook her head. "I am sorry, Caroline."

"Why are you sorry?"

"I did not 'save' you. The man who you were with last night – he is Niklaus, the god of the sun. He brought you here with explicit instruction that you are to be cared for until he comes back."

"You are in league with him!" Caroline gasped, recoiling from Isobel.

"I am a nymph, my child." The woman explained with regret. "We are spirits of nature, and our existence foremost is to be of service to the gods, who rule over all life. I am sorry that Lord Niklaus has desired you and brought you here for his own intent; but even if I disagree with his actions, I cannot deny his commands."

"If you are truly sorry for me, then help me escape before he comes back!" The Corinthian pleaded. "You said he told you to care for me - he didn't say anything about stopping me from leaving, did he? You would not be breaking your servitude if you let me go."

The nymph shook her head again. "Do you know where the forest of Alcaeus is, Caroline?"

Isobel motioned towards the direction of a large archway that lead to a regal marble balcony at the end of the richly-appointed room. Caroline nervously rose from the bed and walked towards the balcony as Isobel had directed, and as she took in the sight around her, her hand found its way over her mouth as she gasped.

Surrounding the opulent manor of the nymphs was a forest of lush green verdure, which Caroline rightly presumed to be Alcaeus. After the forest, however, there was only a small expanse of land before her eyes reached the view of the sandy white shore, which inevitably met with the boundless blue of the sea. The waters went on, seemingly to infinity.

"Alcaeus is in a small island south of the Aegean Sea." Isobel said sympathetically as she joined her guest. "It will take four days to sail to the nearest island of human habitation, Rhodeas in the east and Crete in the west. That is, if you have a ship. Only nymphs inhabit Alcaeus, and as we have no need to leave the island, we have none."

"No..." Caroline staggered, clutching her chest. The nymph laid a comforting hand on her slumped shoulders.

"Klaus is a god, Caroline. Even if you try to escape, he will find you. It will do you better not to test his anger. Give him what he wants, and soon he will tire of you and let you go."

"I can't… I am marrying in two fortnights…"

"It is better to lose your virtue than your life, my child."

-o-

"I'm really sorry, Tyler, I..."

Elena clasped her hands together nervously, unable to finish what should have been words of comfort for the man to whom her best friend was affianced. Tyler arrived in the royal palace of Athens not more than half an hour ago, but instead of a joyful reunion with Caroline he was met with the dreadful news that she was nowhere to be found.

King Grayson was helpless as the furious Roman prince demanded the details of Caroline's disappearance and the course of action taken to find her. No one knew what happened and the lone hope that they were clinging to was the sun-god's aid. Tyler had insisted to speak to the chief priestess himself and Elena offered to accompany him to the temple out of guilt.

She was initially relieved when Katerina said that she would go with them as well, but now with Elena walking alone alongside the visibly upset Tyler and her twin sister at least twenty paces behind fluttering her lashes at Tyler's Uncle Mason, Elena felt terribly awful.

"Cast the apologies aside, Elena. The most important thing now is to find Caroline." Tyler firmly said.

Elena nodded weakly. "Father has sent offerings to the sun-god. The priestesses have not brought us any news this morning, but perhaps now…"

"Your gods take too long to answer prayers, then."

The Athenian princess glanced cautiously at their foreign visitor. "Do not insult the gods of Greece, Tyler. You may be a Roman, but you are in Athens."

Tyler rubbed his temples, cursing inwardly at himself. Of course. What was he thinking, blaspheming against the gods of the nation in which he was a guest?

Then again, perhaps it was what he was _not_ thinking about. The only thought that occupied his mind was finding Caroline _at all costs_.

As the pair walked further into the temple, Elena saw their priestess friend and immediately waved at her.

"Bonnie!"

The olive-skinned girl turned around at the sound of her name and smiled sadly when she saw the approaching royals. She shook her head when Elena looked at her hopefully, answering the latter's silent question.

"The chief priestess is yet to emerge from the sacrificial chambers." Bonnie said regretfully, motioning at the two large, intricately carved doors which sealed the entrance to the most sacred place in the temple of the sun-god.

Elena's face fell, and as she looked at Tyler who remained quiet, she felt the massive amount of self-control that the Roman prince was trying to summon. Mason and Katherine caught up to them and Tyler's pained expression alone was enough indication of the disheartening news.

"I'm sorry, Tyler." Bonnie said. "I know that this is a difficult time for you and I –"

The doors of the sacrificial chambers suddenly opened, and as the five turned to the direction of the chamber's entrance they saw the high priestess emerge with an unknown man.

Mason immediately narrowed his eyes. The man was dressed in robes too modest to be worn by anyone of high position in either the royal court or the military, but there was something daunting about him, something which the Roman could not explain but could lucidly perceive. Beneath the handsome features of the man's placid face and the lithe musculature that defined his body, Mason could sense an impression of immense power, unadulterated and barely restrained.

The man, for his part, paid no attention to anyone else _save for Tyler_. He eyed the Roman prince grimly from foot to head, as if to gauge him; his blue orbs appeared ostensibly neutral but Mason could feel an almost murderous intent hotly blazing under the tranquil surface.

He became more and more uneasy each second that the stranger continued to observe his nephew. He was about to ask if there was any problem when the man finally broke the eyelock, as if deciding that Tyler was nothing of interest after all. He turned to Gloria, expression unchanging.

"Gratitude for you assistance to my cause, priestess." The man said. "I shall be on my way."

He walked out of the hall without as much as casting a second glance at any of them, but Mason's eyes followed his trail until the man disappeared when he turned onto a darkened hallway.

"Who is he?" The Roman king's brother whispered at Katerina.

"I don't know." The latter said honestly. "I have never seen him before."

The priestess faced the Roman heir calmly. "You are Tyler of Rome." She said, a statement rather than a question.

"Yes." Tyler replied, taking a step forward. "I have come to –"

"The gods have spoken to me, Tyler." Gloria cut in, remembering the instructions that her lord gave forth.

"_Should anyone ask what the sun-god has told you regarding the girl's disappearance, you are to tell them an elaborate lie that will buy me time. A fortnight at the least."_

"…_will you return her in a fortnight, my lord?"_

"_If she has given me what I want. Furthermore, whatever happens, make sure that none of the other gods find out that she is missing." _

"_Of course, my lord. If any one of them goes to your father and asks for his help in finding Caroline, he will know what happened and will command you to return her."_

"_The maiden is mine and you are to do everything in your power to ensure that she stays mine, do you understand?"_

"_Explicitly, my lord."_

"_Good. Fail me and see all the crops of your city wilt in the heat of the sun."_

"Caroline gained the friendship of the moon-goddess during the night of the feast. The goddess has offered to teach her the art of the hunt, and she accepted the gesture of amity. Let your mind rest peacefully. Caroline will be back in a fortnight." Gloria declared.

Elena and Katherine breathed out their relief at the priestess' words. However, Tyler frowned.

"I do not mean to offend your skills of divination, but I know Caroline. She can hardly stand seeing me shoot a bird, and you are telling me that she now wants to learn how to spear a boar?"

"Oh hush it, Tyler." Katerina dismissed. "If a goddess extended an offer, Caroline would have been a fool to refuse her. Just because she agreed does not mean she wants it. For all I know Caroline accepted it out of respect."

Gloria nodded. "Just enjoy your stay in Athens, eat plentiful and drink your fill. Katerina, tell your father that there is no need to disturb the gods with prayers or offerings for her safety. She is with the goddess of the moon, who protects the innocent and the chaste."

Tyler looked at his Uncle Mason, who nodded in agreement. The prince of Rome still felt unease, as if he knew in himself that there was something wrong despite the priestess' reassuring words.

But finally, he gave up. "Fine. I shall wait the fortnight then."

"Do not worry, Tyler. Soon you will be reunited with your bride." Gloria said, straight-faced.

-o-

"How is she?"

Isobel bowed in submission as Klaus suddenly appeared in front of her in the hallway outside Caroline's room, his eyes already trained on the doors that lead to the Corinthian's chambers.

Not a second passed all morning that he did not think of her, and yet his thoughts had nothing to do with affection. What he felt for her, simply, was lust - carnal, primal and raw, a ravenous craving that could only be sated by _making her his_. The thought of her belonging to someone else made his blood boil, and that morning it had taken every inch of self-control to restrain himself from murdering that bloody Roman git who dared to lay a claim on her.

"She is fine, Klaus, but she has not touched her food all day."

A slight furrow formed on the deity's brow. "Stubborn to the end, I see. I assume she attempted to escape?"

"She asked me to let her go, but after I showed her where we are, she shut herself off." Isobel replied, her pity for Caroline evident. "The poor girl… she says she is to marry in two fortnights."

"Yes, and the fact that her groom is a Roman is the only thing that hindered me from killing him." Klaus snapped chillingly.

Isobel bowed at the sun-god again, made aware of her offence. "Forgive my tactlessness, my lord."

"I will have to, because I need something from you."

"I am at your service."

"Tell me how to turn a mortal into a nymph."

-o-

Caroline stood on the balcony facing the sea, breathing in the crispness of the midmorning air as she grimly thought about the words that Isobel had said. Was it truly the only way to earn her freedom? To give herself to a man she felt nothing except fear and hatred for, to please him senseless until he tired of her, in the hope that he would eventually return her when he no longer wanted her?

She shuddered at the thought. She would rather kill herself than let him take her for his own sick, lustful amusement.

She held her breath as she suddenly felt a firm, warm chest press against her back at the same time a graceful pair of arms wrapped possessively around her waist. The tingling feel of coarse stubble made itself known on the curve between her shoulder and her neck as soft lips brushed sensually against her skin, sending a jolt of electricity trickling down her spine and heat creeping up her cheeks.

Caroline knew what it all meant, so she closed her eyes and willed herself to stand still.

"Someone seems less difficult this morning." Klaus whispered roughly against her ear, his breath delightfully warm on her slender neck.

Caroline breathed out calmly. To the god's surprise, she made no move to free herself from his hold; instead she turned around ever so slowly to face him.

He reveled in the tempting feel of her smooth skin under the filmy blue chiton which ran against his hands as she turned, and he could not help himself from hissing in heated pleasure as the swell of her breasts brushed lightly against his own chest. Hell, she was even more beautiful than the goddess of love, _and the way her supple body locked faultlessly into his, as if she was made for his possession_ - it made him blaze with need so searing that he barely remembered he was the god of the sun. And when finally Caroline looked up and meekly gazed into his eyes, he all but drowned in the blue clarity of her complete surrender.

But the pleasure of her delicate form yielding compliantly to his strength was not enough to make Klaus lose focus. The moment her hand moved, he saw it, and he caught his wrist in mid-air just as she was about to slap his face with an open palm.

_The obstinate bitch._

He gripped her wrist hard, but she did not give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry out in agony. Instead she bit her pain in, ending her false-submission and snarling at him openly.

"Bastard!"

Klaus grasped her wrist tighter, barely remembering to control himself so as not to snap her joint. The action caused her to be pulled closer to him, but he did not have time to revel in the luscious friction between their bodies because already he was too amused at her attempt to _slap a god in the face_.

His lips curled into a smile as she struggled against him. "Stop fighting me, love. I would hate to have to hurt you again."

"I don't care if you're a god! You are a vile, horrible, despicable creature –"

"Yes, sweetheart, I get the general idea." Klaus asserted as impatience claimed the better of him. Without letting her go, he sped them up and in one swift movement slammed her back viciously against a wall.

Caroline groaned in pain. Her head dropped down for a second, and when she raised it again, he was already there to meet her gaze.

"Calm. Down." The god pronounced resonantly, each word clear and distinct as if it were an unquestionable order. His eyes bore into hers, clear blue irises swirling into a hypnotic vortex of molten gold.

Suddenly she couldn't breathe. In panic she tried to look away from him, to pry her hands off his, but he would not let her and she could not move.

"What are you doing to me…" she cried.

"Compelling you to calm down." Was his simple answer.

Her strength left her, tense muscles relaxing just as Klaus had said. Her heartbeat slowed down rather than race faster despite the terror she felt, and soon her breathing evening out. When he finally released her, she tried to take the chance to get away from him, but no matter how much she willed her body to move, the only thing she could seem to do was _calm down_.

"See, love? Much better when you're not struggling." Klaus said coolly, lifting a hand to tuck the stray strands of her blonde hair behind her ear. "Now go sit on the bed."

She grimaced at his touch. She tried her damnedest to resist him but in the end her unwilling body could do nothing but obey his command. She slowly sat on the edge of the bed, the angered expression never leaving her face.

Klaus walked towards the table in the middle of the room and reached for a bowl of fruit. He then walked back to her and pulled a chair close to her bed so that he could sit in front of her, his eyes always leveled with hers. He took a piece of grape from the bowl, holding it with his thumb and index finger.

"Isobel told me that you haven't eaten all day."

She refused to answer.

He looked into her eyes again, his orbs still a scintillating maelstrom of liquid gold. "You have to keep you strength up, love. Open your mouth."

Caroline's eyes widened. Was he…feeding her?

Her lips parted slowly against her wishes. He smiled in captivation as he watched the luscious pink orifice open up before him, her pained, helpless expression pleasing him even more.

He held the small fruit against her lips before gently bringing the grape into her mouth. He slid into her slowly, deliberately, until he felt the fruit and the fingers he held it with touch the floor of her motionless tongue. She was soft, hot and damp, and for a second he paused, the tapered digits of his hands still inside her mouth. She wasn't sucking him, but her delicate lips enclosed around his fingers tightly enough to make him smile darkly as he decided to amuse himself at her expense.

"Do you have any idea how good your mouth feels around my fingers, Caroline?" he purred, voice low and smooth.

Her face contorted in disgust at his use of her name.

He smirked at her sickened appearance and slowly pulled his hand away, leaving the fruit in her mouth. "Indulge me, love. Eat."

She chewed, glaring at him as she was forced to do as he told, her teeth crushing the sweet flesh of the fruit. He watched every fucking moment of it with fascination, as if she was some kind of entertainment, until finally she swallowed the masticated food. When she was done, he picked up another grape and proceeded to feed her again.

"I was just in Athens this morning. Do you know who I had the pleasure of meeting?" Klaus said mockingly as Caroline ate. "A prince from Rome. I believe his name is Tyler."

The Corinthian felt her eyes well up. Oh Tyler. She would give anything to be with him right now, anything to be with the man she loved, anything to be away from the monster who was the god of the sun.

She forced herself not to cry, not in front of Klaus. She swallowed the grape and as soon as her speaking facilities were free, she grit her teeth at her captor.

"Leave Tyler out of this. If you hurt him, I swear to the gods –"

Klaus' laughter resonated throughout the room, sinister and selfish. "And what would you swear to me, love?"

"I will kill you!"

"I am immortal." He reminded her unflappably. "But don't worry about your precious prince. No harm will fall upon him by my hands – I have better things to do than igniting a war between the Greek and the Roman gods."

He paused, placing another grape in her mouth and basking in the feel of her lips enclosing his fingers. "Like you, love. I intend to have you, and no amount of resistance will sway me from doing so."

She chewed again, this time swallowing the fruit as quickly as she could. "Then why don't you just compel me and get it over with?"

"Ah, I like how creatively you think. But see, I'm very selfish about my pleasures. Do you think I'll be satisfied with taking you while you glare at me like that, or while your mind drifts to thoughts of another man? No, Caroline. When _you_ pleasure _me, _I want your eyes filled with nothing but lust for me, nothing but the desire to please me. You will suffocate with the need for me, and trust me love, when I finally give it to you, you'll be begging for it."

"I will never want you." she told him with finality.

"Oh but you will, sweetheart. I have an eternity to make you want me."

"Good for you, because I don't have an eternity and I'd die before I let you take me willingly."

The sun-god tilted his head and smiled grimly. That was where she was wrong. It required more trouble than he could usually be bothered with, but in a fortnight he would have what he needed to turn her into a nymph. Then she would have an eternity as well, and it didn't matter whosoever of the other gods demanded him to return her to her father or her future husband.

Once she was turned into a nymph, she would be a part of his retinue. She would belong to him as all nymphs belong to the gods, an existence bound to eternal service.

And then not even Mikael himself would be able to do anything.

-o-

_"__Wake up, Tyler."_

_"__What – Uncle Mason?"_

_"__Shhh. Gather the rest of your men, but do it quietly. We have to leave before sunrise. We are going back to Rome."_

_"__Rome? I thought we would wait the fortnight –"_

_"__I had to make the priestess believe that we will do as she says, but I don't trust her. And that man that she was with… there is something about him that troubles me. I can feel it in my gut, Ty. They are deceiving us, and your bride could be in danger."_

_"But __what are we to do if we go back to Rome?"_

_"__We have our own gods. We will seek their aid."_

_-o-_

A/N:

1. After an eternity of procrastinating, I am happy to announce that I am finally on tumblr as **erica-dreams-in-colour**! I am in dire need of blogs to follow so friends,** please include your URL's in your review**. :)

2. To the dear guest who commented that it would be interesting if Caroline became something more than human, please tell me your name so I can thank you properly for the brilliant idea! SPOILERS: 1. Sorry Klaus, no Nymph!Caroline for you. 2. I looked it up, there are vampires in Greek Mythology. ;)

3. Again thanks everyone for bearing with the late updates. Blame my grandfather's new horse, a gorgeous jumper whom I've been going to the stables to watch every single day since I arrived in Ascot. I've even convinced his groom to call him Kol, haha!

Happy New Year!


	4. Aftern

A/N: This is dedicated to **recklesssouls**, whose message inspired me to get down and actually write this chapter. Thank you so much, lovely! Also, belated Happy Birthday to the lovely Fel, aka **maevelin**. :)

-o-

Chapter 4

**Aftern**

_Breathe, my darling._

* * *

She had gone to the girl's chambers only because she was curious.

The young nymph slowly turned the knobs of the wooden door, peering as quietly as she could into the room beyond. Silence embraced the entire chamber, and the only movement she could perceive through the parted entry was the gentle billowing of the curtains as Zephyr blew his winds from outside.

On the large bed at the end of the room was the human girl, deep in slumber. The nymph eyed her inquisitively from her distance, studying every detail of her appearance. She was blonde-haired, fair-skinned and of lissom built; nymphine, actually, and if the nymph didn't know that the room's occupant was human she might have mistaken her for a nymph from another isle. She also seemed to be young in age, but the nymph was not quite certain for she had seen humans only a handful of times and Isobel said that mortals aged very fast compared to divine beings like them.

A slight crease formed on the nymph's brow. So this was the girl that the great Lord Niklaus was lusting after?

"Hayley?"

The nymph jumped in surprise, immediately closing the door shut. But it was too late; Isobel stood in front of her, an expression of disapproval prominent on her face.

"You are not supposed to disturb our guest." The mother nymph said sternly.

Hayley winced. "I did not mean to, Isobel. I only wanted to see…"

Isobel sighed, feeling Caroline stir awake inside the room. She still referred to the mortal as a guest, but she knew that it was highly likely that Caroline would stay in Alcaeus for the rest of her life. The god of the sun had made it known that he wanted Caroline turned into a nymph for her to become part of his retinue, and whatever Klaus wanted he made sure was given to him otherwise he took it himself.

But Klaus wanted her not because he wanted a bride to take to Olympus – he wanted only a plaything, someone he could toy with every now and then by instilling suffering and terror on for no reason other than to feed his cruel amusement. Caroline might hold the god's desire for a few years, during which he would take her whenever and wherever he wanted, but when Klaus tired of his games she would be discarded as thoughtlessly as stray grains of sand at the foot of a temple. Worse, Caroline would not be able to return to the province of mortals for she would no longer belong there; the only place where she would be welcome was in the realm of nymphs.

Perhaps now was as good a time as any to acquaint Caroline with the nymphs who would become her sisters and with the isle that would become her home.

Isobel's face softened as she turned to Hayley. "Come, my child. I will introduce you to our guest. Be her friend and assure that she is comforted while she stays in Alcaeus."

Hayley hid a reel of hesitation as Isobel opened the doors of the chamber and led her into the room. True enough, Caroline had already awaken and was sitting up quietly on her bed.

"Caroline."

Isobel smiled at the Corinthian, the warmth of her expression hiding what tremendous amount of pity she felt for the girl. Of all the beings in Greece, she had the ill fate of being wanted by the god of the sun, dooming her to lose everything she held dear for the sake of a man who did not care an ounce for her and wanted only for her to warm his bed.

Caroline looked up at her host and tried to return Isobel's smile with a small one of her own, but found that no matter how hard she tried, she could not. Even if Isobel had no choice but to follow Klaus, she was still in league with him and it was difficult for Caroline to forget that fact.

Her eyes shifted from Isobel to the young girl who was with the older nymph.

"This is Hayley, one of my nymph-daughters." Isobel said. Turning to Hayley, she bid the young nymph closer to their guest. "Hayley, this is Caroline. She will be staying with us in Alcaeus."

"Hello, Caroline…" Hayley greeted, reluctance subtle but perceptible in her voice.

Isobel sat on the edge of Caroline's bed, putting one hand over the Corinthian's while the other held her daughter's.

"I hope that the two of you can become friends."

-o-

"Tatia."

The goddess of love paused form her current endeavour of picking roses in the divine garden of Olympus to turn around for whoever it was who called her name. To her surprise, her husband's brother stood before him, a watchful, calculating air encircling his presence.

"Niklaus."

Tatia was slightly surprised. She had been with Elijah for centuries, during which she observed that while the god of the sun was never rude in disposition, he was never entirely sociable at the same time. If anything, Klaus was coldly aloof, preferring art or music or travel to great cities over mingling with the gods or other beings. She was puzzled as to why he was suddenly presenting himself to her company, especially since he had never done such a thing before.

But even more confusing to Tatia was the inexplicable impression of warring heat and frost that seethed through the god of the sun. As the goddess of love, Tatia had always been sensitive of the impressions that radiated from living beings; Klaus usually emanated a sense of heated intensity about him, perhaps due to his hot-blooded temper, but this heat that surrounded him now was nothing of that kind. It was an insistent, all-consuming blaze that burned its way throughout every nerve in the god's body, fiery and ruthless and inexorable as the molten flames of Vesuvius.

But at the same time, there was a cold, mysterious darkness that lurked within him… Tatia could feel it, almost as strong as she could feel his heat - she shuddered as a chilling image of a blue-eyed wolf howling to the argent full moon flashed in her mind.

Klaus gave her a short smile. "I will not bother you for long, goddess of love. I wish only to ask where I might find a tree which bears golden pomegranates as fruit. It has come to my knowledge that the fruit I seek is sacred to you."

Tatia returned the god's smile with one of her own but inwardly reminded herself to be cautious. A golden pomegranate was an immensely powerful thing; its skin was a chief ingredient in alchemy, its flesh if consumed would give a warrior indefatigable strength and its seed was key to spells of location. The tree itself and its fruit were not forbidden, but Mikael had tired of greedy humans seeking to transform common metals into gold over the years that he entrusted guardianship of the tree to the nymphs of Signea, who were part of Tatia's retinue.

"And for what purpose shall this need of yours serve, my lord?" she settled to ask.

Klaus was unperturbed. "A warrior under my patronage lost his sister when the Greeks sailed to Troy for war and has not found her until now. However, aside from knowing the fact that the girl is still alive, I find that my oracles can do nothing to further his cause, so I come to you myself for aid in his behalf."

"Who is this warrior?"

"Orestes, son of Agamemnon, brother to Iphigenia."

In any case, what Klaus said was true. The git Agamemnon had sacrificed his own daughter to the goddess of the hunt so the Greeks could sail from the port of Aulis. Though Rebekah told Klaus herself that she accepted the offering of human life and that Iphigenia had been slain, Klaus' prophetic faculties revealed to him otherwise. He knew that his sister was lying and that the girl was alive somehow, somewhere.

But see, the truth was, until that very day Orestes did not even have an idea that his sister was alive.

When Orestes came to Klaus' temple in Delphi anyway the warrior was seeking aid regarding vengeance for his father and not regarding finding his sister who he honestly thought was dead, so why should Klaus say anything about Iphigenia? Besides, it was more convenient to let Rebekah get away with her lies than to have to coerce her to tell the truth.

Tatia lowered her eyes guiltily. She had a hand in the Trojan war, arguably igniting the entire tragedy with her vanity, and thus for all intents caused this separation of brother and sister.

"You would like to use the fruit for a spell to find Iphigenia, then." She said.

Klaus nodded. _That, and Isobel said its skin is required for the spell that will turn Caroline into a nymph._

"Nik!"

Klaus turned around. His brow furrowed slightly as he was greeted by the sight of his younger brother Kol, the god of celebration, walking towards him and Tatia. A characteristic chesire grin lit up Kol's handsome features as he approached his brother, waving two cups of wine which he held by the stems in one of his hands at the god of the sun.

"Kol." Klaus said indifferently.

"Long time, brother." The young man said cheerily. "Do you and your lyre care to join me for a day of music and drink?"

Klaus rolled his eyes. They saw each other every day at dinner, 'long time' indeed considering their last one was less than twelve hours ago. "I have matters to attend to, Kol, I'm afraid you'll have to find someone else to pass the day with."

"How unfortunate. Tatia, then?"

"Not today Kol, I'm sorry. Perhaps some other time?" The goddess of love declined with an apologetic shake of her head. Turning to Klaus, she added, "I have to leave for Signea."

His invitation to merry-making turned down for the fourth time that day, Kol sighed in evident disappointment. "Fine, if neither of you are inclined to party today..."

The young god turned to walk back to the Olympian palace, leaving his brother and his sister-in-law back to their conversation in favour of finding Slater, the quirky messenger of the gods who perhaps he would be more game to join him in drink. As the god of celebration Kol was always in the mood to indulge in wine, but he really did prefer to share its pleasures with company because drinking alone seemed like such a pathetically sad thing to do and Kol didn't want to be a pathetically sad god of celebration.

Usually one of his brothers or even his sister would humuor him and join him in drink; if it was Finn the god of the sea would make fantastic water vortexes for their amusement, or if it was Nik he would play his lyre if he was in a good mood. The fates refused such pleasures for Kol today though - he had asked Finn and Elijah earlier that morning and both of his brothers declined; now Nik had things to do and Tatia was going to her nymphs, why was everyone so busy?

Kol stopped mid-step as the bolt of a brilliant idea suddenly struck him.

Nymphs!

Of course. Nymphs loved celebration for the drinking and dancing that came with it, and they loved Kol equally for being the god of revel. Surely they would welcome him if he sought their company and gladly take part in his indulgence of wine, as well as any other decadent activity that the state of drunkenness would lead to.

But which nymphs? There were nymphs in his retinue from the islands of Naxos, Galatea, Metis and Alcaeus…

With a quick shrug of his shoulders, Kol decided to forsake his earlier intent of finding Slater in the palace and headed instead for the Olympian stables, where his roan steed Alegron would await him. If none of the gods fancied celebrating with him today, then off he'll go to celebrate in the company of his nymphs. From Olympus he would fly down to the nymphine realm, and with the maidens of nature he would fly to the highest tiers of alcohol-induced pleasure.

-o-

"So… you're human?"

Caroline frowned inwardly as she stared back at the nymph, Hayley, who kept looking at her with what seemed to be disdainful interest. After staying with them for a while Isobel announced that she had to leave, offering an explanation of tending to affairs of the gods, and now the Corinthian was left with the young nymph who she really did not feel comfortable with. There was something about Hayley that Caroline did not trust – or perhaps she knew better than to trust any of the nymphs in the island given that they owed their allegiance to the gods, one of which was her captor.

But really, 'You're human?' What kind of question was that?

"There are many other beings in this world that share the two-legged form, you know." Hayley snorted, as if reading the blonde's mind. "I'm a nymph but I look just like you."

Caroline drew out a long breath, trying to hide her growing annoyance. "Yes, I'm human. I hail from the city of Corinth."

"Corinth… you are under the patronage of Lord Finn then."

The princess paused, remembering yet again the god of the sea's supposed patronage of her home. Since her capture in Athens she had thought a thousand times about seeking help from Corinth's divine benefactor, whose wife the goddess of wisdom was patron to the city where Klaus abducted her from, but always in the end Caroline decided against doing so. The god of the sea was brother to the god of the sun and was likely to favor his kin over a mere mortal. Furthermore, if Klaus were to know that she was trying to escape from Alcaeus, then he might bring her to confinement someplace else where escape would be even more difficult. Fleeing Alcaeus was not an effortless feat at that point, but at least the island was still in the province of mortals. Caroline could reach Rhodeas or Crete in about four days if she could find herself a means to sail the waters, and if she could not then she was determined to devise a makeshift one herself.

_Anything _to go back to Athens.

"So how did you meet Lord Niklaus?" Hayley asked when she received no answer regarding the god of the sea.

A frown set itself deep unto Caroline's face. 'Meet' Lord Niklaus, as if he had approached her with the courtesy of a decent man, introduced himself respectfully and properly asked her guardian for the honour of her company, just as Tyler had done – 'meet' indeed.

"I did not meet him." She replied with indignation. "He abducted me from Athens and brought me here, and if there was any way I could escape this island –"

"Wait –" Hayley interrupted, confused. "Are you telling me that… you spurn him?"

"Oh so you think I consent to being imprisoned in your island, manhandled and manipulated at his whim?"

The nymph drew back, astounded by the human's answer. "But why would you reject him? He is a god. If anything you should count yourself fortunate because he wants you."

"He can count himself unfortunate because I do not want him. I am spoken for by an honourable Roman warrior, and he is the only man I will give myself to." Was Caroline's sharp reply.

Hayley resisted the urge to slap the arrogant human in the face and teach her a lesson or two about respecting the gods. The brunette was part of the moon goddess Rebekah's retinue, but her attentions had long been captivated by the lord of the sun. She was not the only nymph in Alcaeus to be so, for after all, who would not wish to hold the fiery deity's desire? He whose eyes of ocean blue could tempt any being, whose magnificently chiselled body was a perfection of the physical form, whose strength and skill in battle was second only to the god of war himself.

Only this fool of a human would be stupid enough to reject him.

The nymph willed herself to calm down, remembering what Caroline herself had said. It didn't matter if Lord Niklaus wanted the girl, because she seemed to truly despise him. Furthermore, Caroline said that she would never give herself to anyone other than her Roman betrothed - which only meant that the god of the sun had not taken her.

Hayley stepped out into the balcony, hands lightly resting on the guardrails as she eyed the far horizon and thought about what best she should do next. Artifice dictated that she should use the mortal to bring herself to Lord Niklaus' attention… but how?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the faint sound of laughter from the garden below. She quickly flicked her head towards the direction of the merriment, and a shrewd smile crept unto her lips as she saw the god of celebration walking towards the manor, all pleased beams. He was surrounded by Hayley's sisters, who of course were thrilled by his arrival.

The nymph knew that it meant only one thing: an afternoon of indulgence was in order.

She went back into the room, the crafty smile never leaving her face as a cunning plan formed in her mind. She folded her arms across her chest and stood by Caroline's bed.

"You want to escape, don't you?"

Caroline looked up at the nymph, surprised but curious about her question. "…yes."

"Can you hold your wine?"

"What?"

"How much can you drink without getting drunk?"

"I don't understand why you're asking –"

"There's a way for you to escape the island." Hayley finally revealed. "The god of celebration is here. He has a winged stallion, and if you can charm him into taking you with him when he leaves, then you can get to Rhodeas or Crete in less than an hour."

-o-

Dulcet melodies of sweetly-played harps and lyres filled the great hall of the nymphine manor in Alcaeus, the songs of celebration made even more pleasant by sounds of delighted laughter which drifted tunefully with the music in the chamber. A banquet fit for a god was prepared, breads and meats and fruits plentiful on the tables, as was the free flowing carmine wine. All over the hall Isobel's daughters danced and sang and played petty games, gladly entertaining their unexpected but much welcome guest.

Kol smiled smugly to himself as he lounged on his divan and watched a group of nymphs dance in front of him, their airy garments lifting up each time they spun to the music to allow him the sight of luscious legs. He hadn't been in Alcaeus in years, and the reception that he was welcomed with certainly made him decide to visit the island more frequently in the future.

"Fruit, my lord?"

He turned to his side, where a nymph he knew to be part of his sister's retinue had knelt, a tray of fresh berries in her hands. Hayley, if he remembered right.

The god of celebration nodded leisurely, parting his lips open so the girl could feed him the fruit. Rebekah's nymphs were not usually so docile, with most of the brazen beauties preferring to be huntresses like their goddess, but if this one wanted to be of service to him then Kol had no complaints.

He ate the berry unhurriedly, taking his time to savour the tangy sweetness of the fleshy fruit as he continued to watch the ensemble of dancing nymphs. It did not take long before another maiden knelt to Kol's side adjacent to Hayley, this one blonde and blue-eyed, wearing a chiton of pale pink with its neckline cut low so she offered the god the enjoyable sight of her ample bosom aside from the cup of wine that she held in her hands. One gaze at her meek face had Kol enchanted, but try as he might he really could not recall ever seeing her before.

He bid Hayley to pause from her service so he could sit up and give the newcomer an engaging smile. "I've never seen you here before. What is your name?"

"Caroline, my lord." the girl answered, though the god could sense a slight hesitation in her voice. "I was born from the spring of Alcaeus less than a year past."

Kol tilted his head lazily. Every century or so there was a nymph incarnated from the spirit of a dying tree or spring or cloud, and perhaps he had been gone from Alcaeus too long indeed.

"And whose retinue are you part of?"

"The sea-god's, my lord." Caroline replied curtly. She glanced at Hayley for a brief moment before smiling back sweetly at the deity.

Kol nodded, pleased at her response. She looked very pretty when she smiled, he decided as he took the cup of wine offered to him. "Well then, Caroline. Drink with me."

He dipped his forefinger in the golden goblet, allowing some of the grape nectar to coat his tapered digit. Kol raised the same and offered it to the young nymph, his lips slowly curling into an inviting grin as he wordlessly dared her to take fill of what he tendered.

Though Caroline kept the smile on her face, the Corinthian swallowed uncertainly. Hayley sent her a discreet nudge in the elbow but still the blonde was unable to do anything other than to stare at the wine-drenched finger offered to her by the god.

She looked back at Kol, who again sensed her hesitation, if the apprehensive look on her face was not enough. The deity in turn merely laughed in amusement.

"I forget that you are young, sweetheart. Is this your first banquet?"

Caroline nodded nervously, and Kol eased into a casual smile.

"Ah, Caroline. When one is young she is full of inhibitions, always holding back because the world scares her as much as it fascinates her. But you musn't be scared, darling. See how your sisters simply enjoy themselves without hesitation?" the god said, motioning at all the other nymphs.

The Corinthian's eyes followed the deity's hand as it swept across the hall. All around her, nymphs were dancing, singing, enjoying themselves seemingly without a care in the world. Their smiles were all genuine and their laughs all hearty; it wouldn't have taken more than a functioning pair of eyes to know that they were truly happy.

In another life Caroline may have wanted the same for herself, but not in this one. In this life, her happiness was with her family in Corinth, with her friends in Athens, with Tyler in Rome.

She turned back to Kol, but the god could see the reservation that still swam in the surface of her brave eyes. He didn't blame her; she was young and it was to her credit that she wasn't naïve enough to easily believe everything that she was told.

Well, he'll just have to remedy that.

"Let me help you then." The god of celebration said. He brought himself closer to her, hazel eyes boring right into Caroline's blue orbs as they slowly swirled into a gripping vortex of molten gold. "Now you won't have to waste long centuries being a curious little nymph before you finally give yourself a chance to enjoy the world."

Hayley's eyes widened in alarm, realizing what was to happen. But what could she do? She was in no position to stop her lord, even though his compulsion of the mortal was not part of the brunette nymph's plan.

"Turn it off, Caroline. Turn all your inhibitions off."

The Corinthian's lips parted in distress, recognizing the train of compulsion. She scrambled to get away from the god, but it was too late - the familiar feeling of heady helplessness had overwhelmed her before she could even get to her feet. A dry, choked cry was torn from her throat as Kol's eyes continued to drill away at her sanity, and she could feel every nerve in her body throb in response to the maelstrom that held her soul captive in its celestial power.

Her reservations slowly ebbed, no matter how desperately she tried to cling to them. Dizzying images of everything she had been holding back from flashed in her mind, each one immediately consumed by a ruthless dark soonest as it appeared, hurriedly buried deep underneath her consciousness. It did not take long before she was left with nothing but a numbing emptiness, which reflected itself in her hazed orbs.

Kol pulled away, finally letting Caroline to close her eyes. When she opened them again, every trace of hesitation had been replaced by an ardent fire of boldness that burned a fiery shade of red in the human's blue eyes.

She wasted no time and took the god's finger into her mouth, sucking deliberately at the intoxicating overlay of wine that still tinged his hand. Kol watched with fascination the young nymph's newfound enthusiasm for indulgence, his own body charged with the sensual thrill of her soft, eager tongue lapping keenly at his finger.

Caroline smiled when finally she released him from her lips, with a popping sound that made Kol grin in approval before taking a greedy draft of the wine from the cup she brought to him. A drop of the drink dribbled from the side of his mouth, and right away the Corinthian hastened to lick the carmine nectar off the wine-god's chin, down from his jaw and up to his lip.

It was all the invitation that he needed. In a flash, Kol placed a hand behind the blonde's neck and pulled her closer to him, his lips crashing eagerly unto hers. Hayley gasped in shock as Caroline kissed the god back without qualms, her hands fisting into his royal robe to seal what little distance was left between them. Caroline's inhibitions were turned off now; she would do whatever she felt like doing.

Her tongue swirled with Kol's in a delicious dance that sent heated waves of want pulsing through both of their bodies. Caroline did not know why she wanted to kiss him, but an inexplicable need smouldered relentlessly in her chest and only the feel of Kol's mouth on hers could satisfy it. She remembered Tyler, she never forgot him, but somehow he did not matter as much as he did before and the only thing that she cared about that moment was the kiss that she shared with the indulgent god of revel.

Kol smirked as he drew back from their sweet liplock, making Caroline groan in displeasure.

"I see you've been holding back from much more than drinking wine." the god teased. "Tell me, darling, who is this poor man whom you've been denying the pleasure of a kiss?"

Caroline closed her eyes, her lack of inhibition allowing her to think honestly what the answer to the wine-god's question was. Her mind was occupied by one thought and one thought alone: that night during the feast in Athens, when she awoke to find herself in the arms of the god of the sun, his lips hot on hers, and her own finding exquisite pleasure in kissing back his.

The god of celebration watched the young nymph intently, a thin line parting her lips as she wordlessly relived the heated memory of the sun-god's kiss. Kol heaved a conceding sigh and smirked inwardly before letting himself indulge in his own craving and planting another hungry kiss on Caroline's lips.

Gods, innocence of this kind was just impossible to resist.

The blonde kissed him back again, coyly this time, allowing herself to enjoy the decadence that the amber-eyed god offered. He nipped her bottom lip with his teeth and she chased him right back, smiling complacently as she felt Kol's arm leave the back of her neck, travelling languidly down the curve of her shoulders, lower into her clavicle, and still lower down her chest…

The deity suddenly stopped, drawing himself away from the current object of his desires. Caroline stared at him in confusion; his reply was to rise from the divan and pull her gently up to her feet before turning to Hayley, who remained inert on her knees.

"Get us a room."

-o-

The temple of the moon goddess in Thebes stood silent, the fires in her sacrificial chamber unlit as her priestesses gave way to the daylight dominion of the sun-god's burning noon. Lady Rebekah of the dark skies spent her days in the mountains or in the level sylvan wild, drawing both accomplishment and amusement from the thrill of the hunt. It was at the fall of dusk to early night time that she would have conference with her mortal servants, listening to what prayers the human lot might have for her, and if she so wanted then granted them thus.

A young man stood in front of her altar, stance neither submissive nor respectful – only waiting. He had hair the color of raw caramel and eyes of the deepest olive green, which stood out splendidly against the royal amethyst colour of his robes. The man knew very well that the goddess Rebekah never gave her audience to the humans who came to pray in her temple during the day, but still he held his place, staunchly relying on the sliver of chance that she might choose to see him even if it the sun had not yet set.

He was, after all, no ordinary human.

The torches in the chamber suddenly erupted into a cold blue flame, filling the room with an otherworldly air of obscurity. A young woman with flaxen tresses and lofty blue-green eyes descended from the steps of the altar, shapely hips swaying with each lissom step, making the young man smile.

"My lady." He greeted courteously.

His smile was returned, although it was accompanied by a poised rise of the young woman's aristocratic brow.

"Stefan." The blonde replied. "And what brings the Roman god of the sun to the temple of the Greek goddess of the moon?"

Before the Roman god could reply, another man walked into the chamber, this one with hair as dark as midnight and eyes of spring-sky blue. Instead of giving a decorous greeting to the mistress of the hunt as the other man had done, he merely acknowledged her with a wave of his hand, to which Rebekah snorted contemptuously.

"Hi, Bex." The sable-haired man said, blithe and informal. "We're looking for a Corinthian princess betrothed to the prince of Rome. We were told that she's with you."

-o-

Hayley's face contorted in hatred and disgust as she closed the doors of the chamber where the god of wine had lead Alcaeus' mortal guest. She did not dare glance at the human pretending to be a nymph the entire time she accompanied Caroline and the Lord Kol into the quarters that the god of wine requested, but if the way Caroline made no move to free herself from the covetous hold that Lord Kol's arm had on her waist was any indication, the Corinthian princess who wanted to escape Alcaeus was entirely gone. In her place was an unreserved, unbound woman who heeded no inhibitions of reason or emotion and indulged in whatever pleasure she found herself immersed in.

_That lying bitch_, Hayley thought between gritted teeth as she made her way back into her own chambers in the manor. So Caroline did want Lord Niklaus – for some pompous, self-righteous reason she just held herself back from giving in to him. Even the most foolish human was not immune to the god's allure after all.

The nymph hastened her steps, frustration gnawing at her patience. She had planned to 'help' Caroline escape only to drive her away from the god of the sun. But now that Caroline's inhibitions had been compelled to banishment, nothing would stop the mortal from submitting to the god's desires the next time he came for her. Hayley had to rectify the situation… but how, when Caroline was with the indulgent god of celebration, who by the looks of it would be all too happy to fuck the mortal until hell froze over unto earth.

"Halt, nymph of Alcaeus."

Hayley stopped in her tracks, a hesitant frown creasing her forehead. She recognized the cool, drafty voice which brimmed of mint and pine and of the heady sylvan noon – but was what she heard real or was she so thwarted by exasperation that her mind was playing tricks on her?

She slowly turned around, her eyes leaving the glossiness of the manor's immaculate marble floors to land on the heart-stopping sight of a striking blue-eyed man in front of her.

It was the god of the sun himself.

"M-my lord…" Hayley stammered.

Klaus wasted no time with pretensions of amity. He had gone to Alcaeus that afternoon to see Caroline and perhaps to amuse himself with her again, but to his irate surprise he was met by an empty chamber and no sign of where his mortal captive could be. His displeasure grew even worse when he found himself unable to beckon the mother nymph of the island to demand Caroline's whereabouts.

"Where is Isobel?" the sun-god questioned irascibly.

"She left about an hour ago, my lord, to tend to affairs of your divine grace." Hayley answered, cautious not to appear too eager to converse with the god who held her affections, nor too indifferent at that. "If there is anything that I can be of service to the lord of the sun…"

"Do you know of the human entrusted to her care? Where is she?"

Upon the god's words, Hayley bowed her head to hide the canny smile that spread across her face. Perhaps she could rectify the situation after all – or make it even better.

_Let's see what wrath the sun-god will unleash when he finds his precious mortal in bed with his brother._

-o-

Caroline closed her eyes, her head tipping back lightly to rest against the cool, hard surface of the wall where the god of the celebration had pinned her against while his lips acquainted themselves with the succulent base of her neck. Electric sparks danced along her spine each time Kol brushed his lips against her smooth skin, the sensation magnified tenfold by his able hands tenderly kneading her breasts to pert attention.

She should have been screaming, kicking, thrashing to get away from him, but her compulsion did away with any and all thoughts of protest because her body craved the torturous pleasure that the god gave her, and in this torturous pleasure she basked herself in. The wine-god for his part could not be more pleased with the supple body that he dotingly plundered with his hands, for now at least, and the soft, rolling moans that he drew from the blonde nymph were pure music to his ears.

His thumb brushed lazily over the gauzy fabric of Caroline's cerise chiton, teasing the rosy peaks of her breasts with delightful cruelty that sent the sensitive buds awaking into taut blooms. Kol smiled, satisfied with his handiwork, but even more so thrilled at how responsive the nymph was to his every action.

He wasn't usually this obliging when it came to the women he slept with, but he made an exception for pretty little Caroline because she was young and was yet to be claimed. The god decided that no, he would not force the crushing pleasure from her body just to make her wet and ready for him, would not fuck her for his own selfish enjoyment. He would take his time with this beautiful virgin baby, make love to her slowly and gently, make her know pleasure as only the god of indulgence could give.

He would make sure that he marked her well.

He flexed his arm cursorily, hand leaving the lovely hospitality of Caroline's breasts to gradually travel lower into her body, engraving the curve of her waist and the swell of her hips into his memory. He found the parting slit of her chiton's flowing skirt and took only a fraction of a second to deftly insert his hand there, attenuated fingers swiftly gliding beneath her light undergarments to reach that juncture cradled within her thighs.

Caroline moaned louder, and Kol swallowed the melodic exclamation with a fierce kiss to her lips. The god's finger skimmed the damp surface of her flesh tentatively, feeling that wonted primal beat begin its lustful thrumming between her legs. She was hot and she was drenched and oh Kol could take her right here, right now - but the god decided that she would need more heat than this if he were to make her lose her mind, and that precisely he planned to do.

He slowly eased a finger into her, dipping gingerly at first but gradually moving faster, surer. Caroline brought her hands up to clutch his shoulders, steadying herself with his stalwart frame as his hand continued to explore her below. Ever so patiently, Kol pried her lips apart to probe into her slick heat, and the moment his touch made itself known the Corinthian's thighs quivered against the god's adroit arm.

A knot of tension coiled tightly in Caroline's stomach as the deity continued to work his hand in her core, smothering her with insatiable want. She wanted him bigger, wanted him deeper, wanted him harder than that, but every time his finger swirled against her walls she found herself unable to speak at all.

A second digit joined the first, and Kol slowed his movement down once again to let her adjust to the new intrusion while he tested how deep he could go. He wasn't very fond of virgins, rarely had the patience to educated them about how to please a man, but he loved how tight this baby nymph was and he could barely tame the thrill that his own body whirred with whenever her walls clamped hungrily on his fingers. Under his own robes his cock pulsed restively in anticipation, longing to feel her hands, her mouth and her heated flesh around him. The only thought that could hold its coherence in his head was how mind-blowing Caroline would be later when he finally ravished her; oh he could drive right into her and split her into half and she'd still be too tight to take all of him in.

_Fuck_, Kol groaned, scolding himself inwardly at the sudden realization that he was thinking like a dominum. _Remember Kol, she's a virgin. No rough sex today._

As if to atone for his brash thoughts about taking the blonde nymph, Kol reached for the center of pleasure between her thighs and gave the throbbing button long, slow strokes with his deliciously drenched finger. Caroline's eyes snapped open, a ragged, breathless mewl forcing its way out of her rasp throat. Her toes curled tightly beneath her feet, and if her hands weren't digging into the god's shoulders for support her legs would have given out.

Kol felt how she strained at his continued invasion of her body, and he paused briefly to bring his lips up to the shell of her ear to soothe her with whispers of assurance.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Caroline." He said, voice low and smooth, tempting. "I'm here to please."

She nodded with a weak whimper. It was not that she felt hesitation any longer, her compulsion wouldn't allow it – but Kol was making her body respond to him in the most torturously gratifying ways and she found it difficult to keep up with all the rousing sensations that the god filled her with.

"Breathe, my darling." Kol told her calmingly, smiling into her neck as his tongue lapped softly at the skin below her ear.

BANG!

The doors of the chamber suddenly flew open with a fateful thundering sound.

-o-

A/N:

1. Hi guys, I've created another account for my 'experimental fics' - drama, smut, fluff and all the other stuff that I don't usually write about - please check out **she. daydreams. in. colour**, link in my profile page. Also I am **erica-dreams-in-colour** at tumblr, please leave your URL's in your review so I can follow you. :)

2. Super sorry to those who don't like KolxCaroline but that pairing is a big guilty pleasure of mine and I needed to do this for myself. Just to be clear though, there isn't a KlausxCarolinexKol triangle here (reserving that for a oneshot) - Kol is self-indulgent and sleeps with whoever he feels like sleeping with (like that random girl in Chapter 1), and it just happened to be Caroline in this chapter.

3. I will not update unless I get 1000 reviews.

Haha of course I'm kidding! But really why are so many authors 'requiring' a certain number of reviews before they update lately? Is that like the new fad?


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